Anti-Semitism

News about Anti-Semitism, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Chronology of Coverage

Jul. 18, 2015

Anti-Defamation League national director Abraham H Foxman is set to retire after serving organization for almost three decades; in that time Foxman has become one of leading voices against anti-Semitism, and has become one of first people whose views are sought on controversies that involve Jews or Israel. MORE

Jul. 11, 2015

French court sentences Mohamed Achamlane to nine years in prison for his work in heading up dismantled radical Islamic Forsane Alizza group, which had plotted attacks on kosher markets and other Jewish business in Paris; Achamlane was also accused of abducting and torturing Jewish judge in Lyon; other members of group are sentenced to up to six years in prison. MORE

Jul. 10, 2015

Federal Judge Kenneth M Karas approves $4.48 million settlement from Pine Bush Central School District in upstate New York to five Jewish students who say they were victims of anti-Semitism at the schools. MORE

Jun. 30, 2015

Pine Bush Central School District in upstate New York settles civil rights lawsuit filed by five current and former students who claim to have suffered years of anti-Semitic bullying; agrees to pay $4.48 million and make changes to curriculum and training of staff and teachers. MORE

Jun. 15, 2015

Madrid's Culture Min Guillermo Zapata makes joke about Holocaust on Twitter, posing test for left-wing government and prompting opposition politicians to call for his ouster; Zapata issues apology. MORE

May. 27, 2015

Thousands of Sephardic Jews in Turkey who are of Spanish descent are applying for Spanish citizenship ahead of law granting nationality to Jews who were expelled during Inquisition in 1492; most are trying to flee what they view as rising anti-Semitism in Turkey. MORE

May. 10, 2015

Student government councils in dozens of American colleges have passed resolutions urging school administrations to divest from companies that many see as helping Israel mistreat Palestinians; resolutions are inspired by Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions campaign; debates are emotional, with many minorities expressing solidarity with Palestinians, and supporters of Israel, worried that debates are motivated by anti-Semitism and a questioning of legitimacy of Israel itself. MORE

May. 5, 2015

France's far-right National Front Party attempts to distance itself from anti-semitic and racist comments of founder Jean-Marie Le Pen and will vote on proposal to strip him of his honorary title of party president. MORE

Apr. 29, 2015

Former Al Jazeera America director Matthew Luke files wrongful termination lawsuit against cable network; alleges that he was terminated after complaining to human resources about sexist and antisemitic behavior by his supervisor, Osman Mahmud. MORE

Apr. 19, 2015

Editorial deplores anti-Semitic slurs chanted by fans at soccer game in The Netherlands, which prompted officials of Utrecht team to apologize; suggests that such anti-Semitism is an epidemic in European soccer; urges soccer officials to take similar steps to ones they took to reduce racism in soccer. MORE

Apr. 15, 2015

Stanford University student Molly Horowitz has accused school's Students of Color Coalition of anti-Semitism after group asked whether she would vote to divest school from Israel; Horowitz, who was seeking group's endorsement ahead of school senate run, was raised by Jewish family; incident joins ongoing debate in nation's colleges over Jewish identity and divestment from Israel. MORE

Mar. 24, 2015

David Brooks Op-Ed column identifies three major strains of anti-Semitism, differentiating between Middle East, Europe and United States; suggests different ways to respond to each strain; emphasizes degree to which anti-Semitism is assertion of impurity whose logical endpoint is violence and extermination. MORE

Mar. 20, 2015

Republican donor David Humphreys releases signed affidavit saying that Missouri's Republican Chairman John Hancock made negative remarks about Tom Schweich, state auditor who committed suicide amid perceptions that he was target of anti-Semitic whispering campaign; Humphreys is first person to publicly attest that Hancock made such remarks. MORE

Mar. 6, 2015

Memo From Europe; Germany has struggled since 1945 under weight of its role in Nazi era and the Holocaust, and its leaders now face new and chilling challenges as actions of radical Islamist groups reawaken fears and realities of anti-Semitism across the nation. MORE

Feb. 19, 2015

French prosecutor Philippe Vannier says five teenagers arrested for overturning as many as 250 gravestones in Jewish cemetery in eastern France had clear anti-Semitic motive. MORE

Feb. 18, 2015

Thomas L Friedman Op-Ed column points to steady stream of anti-Semitic statements issued by Turkish Pres Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government as evidence that country is moving away from democracy; warns that this growing global trend is especially worrisome given that democracies in West and America are increasingly inefficient, as shown in Stanford University Prof Larry Diamond essay in Journal of Democracy. MORE

Jan. 23, 2015

United Nations Memo; Israel's successful bid to United Nations General Assembly to hold first-ever meeting to discuss the rise of global anti-Semitism is supported by host of nations, including all members of European Union; some leaders use opportunity to smooth relations with Israel that had been strained by Europe's tough stance with nation over Palestinian cause. MORE

Jan. 14, 2015

Editorial expresses sympathy with French Jews who feel insecure and isolated due to acts of violence fueled by anti-Semitism, latest of which was attack on kosher supermarket in Paris by Amedy Coulibaly; warns that exodus of Jews from France would play into hands of terrorists and anti-Semites; praises French authorities for protecting Jewish schools and synagogues, in addition to places of worship of other faiths, in wake of attacks. MORE

Jan. 13, 2015

Terrorist attacks in Paris, particularly incident at kosher supermarket, have caused many French Jews to reevaluate their life in country, with many considering moving to Israel out of concern for their safety; anti-Semitic attacks in France are on the rise and in 2014 record 7,000 French Jews emigrated to Israel. MORE

Nov. 5, 2014

Federal Judge Kenneth M Karas in White Plains, NY, denies motion by Pine Bush Central School District to dismiss lawsuit by parents of boys who say they were victims of pervasive anti-Semitic bullying. MORE

Oct. 21, 2014

Protesters gather outside Metropolitan Opera before premiere of John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer to denounce opera that has become object of charged debate about art, anti-Semitism and politics; after months of escalating protests, including threats toward opera officials and online harassment of cast, opera goes on; protesters disrupt performance twice. MORE

Sep. 26, 2014

Letter from Abraham H Foxman, national director of Anti-Defamation League, comments on Sept 24 front page article about anti-Semitism in Europe. MORE

Sep. 24, 2014

Scattered attacks on Jews have raised alarm about how Europe is changing and whether it remains a safe place for Jews, with many now migrating to Israel; there is growing concern that insidious anti-Jewish bias is creeping into European mainstream and undermining postwar consensus to root out anti-Semitism. MORE

Sep. 23, 2014

Noisy demonstrators gather outside Metropolitan Opera, calling for cancellation of production of John Adams's opera The Death of Klinghoffer; opera depicts a 1985 cruise ship hijacking by members of the Palestine Liberation Front, and the killing of a disabled Jewish American passenger, Leon Klinghoffer; speakers at protests describe opera as anti-Semitic, saying it glorifies terrorism. MORE

Sep. 20, 2014

Editorial supports Metropolitan Opera in its decision to carry out plan to stage John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer, despite demands from protesters that controversial opera be cancelled; says Met and its director Peter Gelb are right in defending both opera, which has drawn accusations of anti-Semitism, and principal of artistic freedom in world rife with political pressures. MORE

Aug. 21, 2014

Op-Ed article by Prof Deborah E Lipstadt notes rising tide of anti-Semitism in Europe; cautions against reducing import of anti-Semitic sentiment by ascribing it to disgruntled Muslim youth or dismissing it as mere rhetoric; says that while Europe is not on cusp of Holocaust, what is happening there is bad enough, and cultural and political leaders should act accordingly. MORE

Aug. 7, 2014

Foot soldiers of French offshoot of far-right Zionist group Jewish Defense league faces off with several hundred pro-Palestinian demonstrators as they rampage through Jewish quarter of Paris suburb. MORE

Aug. 3, 2014

Roger Cohen Op-Ed column notes opposing reactions in Europe and America to Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza, contrasting Europe's widespread anger at Israel against America's support for the nation; argues that views on both sides of the Atlantic are slanted through cultural inclination and political diktat; reflects that, nevertheless, he is glad to be a naturalized American citizen, given rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. MORE

Aug. 2, 2014

Conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel is generating broader backlash against Jews across Europe, as threats, hate speech and even violent attacks proliferate in several countries; most surprisingly perhaps, wave of incidents has washed over Germany, where atonement for Holocaust and other Nazi crimes is bedrock of modern society. MORE

Jul. 26, 2014

Michael Beschloss History Source column on late Jewish Major League Baseball standout Hank Greenberg, who spent most of his career as a first baseman with Detroit Tigers; says Greenberg, whose high solstice of his career coincided with peak of anti-Jewish anger in the United States, became a symbol of how Jews were moving into the American mainstream. MORE

Jul. 9, 2014

Letter from Abraham H Foxman, National Director of the Anti-Defamation League, comments on Peter Ross Range July 8 Op-Ed article about republication of Adolf Hitler book Mein Kampf in Germany. MORE

Jul. 8, 2014

Op-Ed article by journalist Peter Ross Range welcomes republication of Adolph Hitler manifesto Mein Kampf in Germany; cites fears expressed by Jewish groups and others that publication will foment new anti-Semitic sentiment; holds inoculation of younger generation against hate is better served by open confrontation with Hitler's word than by hiding his words away. MORE

Jun. 21, 2014

Jewish Agency for Israel, which coordinates migration to Israel, says number of French Jews relocating to Israel is four times higher in the first three months of 2014 than for the same period in 2013; Jewish leaders say emigration is being driven by combination of factors, but the main catalyst is seeming greater acceptance of anti-Semitism in France. MORE

Jun. 21, 2014

Anthony Tommasini holds that Metropolitan Opera's cancellation of live broadcast of John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer in response to accusations of anti-Semitism represents dismaying artistic capitulation; says that audiences should be given chance to judge raw and controversial work for themselves. MORE

Jun. 20, 2014

Editorial criticizes Metropolitan Opera's decision to cancel plans to broadcast The Death of Klinghoffer live in movie theaters around the world; notes that Met's general manager Peter Gelb is defending decision in light of rising anti-Semitism, particularly in Europe, but urges Gelb to stand up to pressure to cancel performances altogether. MORE

Jun. 10, 2014

Activists vow to file criminal complaint against Jean-Marie Le Pen, founder of French far-right National Front, after he uses apparently anti-Semitic pun about ovens to dismiss one of his Jewish critics. MORE

May. 25, 2014

Unidentified gunman opens fire at the Jewish Museum in central Brussels, killing at least three people in what appears to be an anti-Semitic attack. MORE

May. 23, 2014

Spate of racist and anti-Semitic abuses among soccer fans in Spain raises broad questions of why such behavior seems so hard to combat in country; latest example of almost 18,000 people posting anti-Semitic comments on Twitter after Real Madrid's loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv prompts Jewish organizations to file lawsuit in Barcelona court and condemnation by Anti-Defamation League. MORE

May. 14, 2014

Survey conducted by the Anti-Defamation League finds that 26 percent of all adults worldwide harbor anti-Semitic attitudes and nearly half have never heard of the Holocaust; group describes global survey assessing the level and intensity of hostility toward Jews as unprecedented and sobering. MORE

May. 12, 2014

Adam B Bartos, Czech journalist running in May elections for European Parliament, has campaigned on anti-Semitic sentiments and anti-European Union messages; parties outside the mainstream are expected to win as many as quarter of the Parliament's 750 seats, indicating rise of far-right leaders. MORE

Apr. 16, 2014

Kansas state prosecutors charge white supremacist Frazier Glenn Miller with murder in the killing of three people outside two Jewish community facilities in Overland Park; Miller, a well-known Klansman, makes a video appearance from jail in Johnson County District Court initial hearing; none of victims are Jewish, but authorities say federal hate crimes are based on intent. MORE

Apr. 15, 2014

Frazier Glenn Miller, suspect in murder of three people outside two Jewish community facilities in Overland Park, Kan, was vocal about his views that Jews should be killed, but had never before acted on them; prominent white supremacists and former Ku Klux Klan leader had history of anti-Semitism and racism; law enforcement authorities are pursuing the shootings as a hate crime. MORE

Apr. 15, 2014

Apparent hate crime perpetrated by shooting suspect Frazier Glenn Miller seems aimed at Jews, but victims he allegedly gunned down outside Jewish organizations in Overland Park, Kan, were all Christians, devoted to their families, to their churches and to serving their communities. MORE

Apr. 15, 2014

Frank Bruni Op-Ed column highlights continuing threat posed by antisemitism in America in light of shooting rampage by Frazier Glenn Miller in Kansas; notes some 65 percent of religion-prompted hate crimes nationwide are directed toward Jews, and that everyday examples of stereotyping and bigotry are easy to find. MORE

Apr. 12, 2014

Anthony LoGiudice, chief of Fairview Fire District in Greenburgh, NY, says he will retire at end of 2014; announcement follows disclosures from several firefighters that they had heard LoGiudice use anti-Semitic slurs to refer to Greenburgh's town supervisor, Paul J Feiner. MORE

Mar. 11, 2014

French officials, despite dozens of charges of violating anti-hate laws, have been confounded in efforts to stop performances of comedian Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, who is seen as anti-Semitic Holocaust denier; campaign against him shows few signs of succeeding, instead fueling support among his core audience, social and racial cross of French. MORE

Feb. 6, 2014

Community Security Trust, which advises Britain's estimated 260,000 Jews on safety issues, reports that anti-Semitic incidents recorded in Great Britain have fallen to the lowest annual level since 2005. MORE

Feb. 4, 2014

Controversial French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala has been barred from entering Britain because of his extreme views; has been criticized for having invented a gesture that resembles a Nazi salute and carries anti-Semitic overtones. MORE